


Like a Badger

by Jupiter_Ash



Series: A Kind of Magic [7]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24736573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jupiter_Ash/pseuds/Jupiter_Ash
Summary: To the other Slytherins, Anthony J. Crowley is a blood traitor, and they're going to make sure that he knows it.Continuation of the Aziraphale and Crowley are Hufflepuffs at Hogwarts verse.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: A Kind of Magic [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1467316
Comments: 12
Kudos: 94





	Like a Badger

**Author's Note:**

> Due to everything, it completely slipped my mind that I still had stories to post in this verse. So... here you go.
> 
> And thank you so much to everyone who has commented on the last story and on this series overall, always means so much! :)
> 
> Thank you too to Kizzia for smoothing out all the rough edges, making the story sound so much better.

There were three particular facts that the Slytherin students knew about Anthony J. Crowley.

Firstly, he was a pathetic little blood traitor. The first person in his family not to have been sorted into Slytherin for generations, despite those serpentine eyes that would suggest he was a certain shoo-in. Worse still, he hadn’t even been good enough or smart enough to be a Ravenclaw. No, he had plummeted all the way down to the pathetic depths of _Hufflepuff_. The only way it could have been worse was if he had been sorted into _Gryffindor_.

Hufflepuff was embarrassing enough though, which meant that not only was he a traitor but he was a pathetic one who deserved everything that was coming to him. It also made him the ideal target for any young snake wanting to impress their elders.

They cornered him where they knew no teacher would see them.

*

The second thing the Slytherin students knew about Anthony J. Crowley was that while he had a reputation of being good at Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts, what he had real aptitude for was Herbology. He had the green touch, according to Professor Sprout and Professor Longbottom, a real natural (if a little unconventional in some of his methods).

Unfortunately for Crowley, while Slytherins considered it acceptable to be good at Transfiguration or Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology was deemed to be for pathetic losers only.

And the less said about his burgeoning passion for Astronomy, the better.

Therefore, they cornered him near the greenhouses where they knew he would be, and where they knew no teacher would see them.

*

The third thing the Slytherin students knew about Anthony J. Crowley was that having been cast off by his relatives and old acquaintances, he now really only had one friend, and that friend was another embarrassment; a failed Gryffindor, also not good enough for Ravenclaw, rightfully cast aside by his family and friends as well. 

Chubby and overly cheerful, Aziraphale Fell was the polar opposite of Anthony J. Crowley in so many ways, but was similar in that he too was completely useless. His favourite subjects were Charms and History of Magic, and when his nose wasn’t buried in a book he could be found stuffing some sort of food into his mouth.

Aziraphale Fell was mostly harmless, but Anthony J. Crowley had proven to be rather protective of his friend, so it made sense to therefore corner Anthony J. Crowley near the greenhouses, where they knew he would be, when they knew he would be alone, and where they knew no teacher would see them.

*

There were four of them in total, because they weren’t going to take any chances, and the pathetic little blood traitor deserved everything they were going to throw at him. 

Of course, four against one gave them the opportunity to gloat, to brag, to throw insults.

Which gave Crowley the opportunity to run.

Which he did, as fast as he could, as he knew that was the only sensible thing he could do.

In a way, he was lucky, it was a warm, pleasant day, which meant there were other pupils around. 

In another way, it wasn’t luck, because he was a Hufflepuff, and Hufflepuffs stick together. So the sight of a small, skinny kid in yellow trimming running from a group of four older kids with green trimming attracted a certain amount of attention. 

By the time he reached the lake shore, there were a dozen older and bigger students also trimmed in yellow, with their wands out ready.

Suddenly the tables had turned and the Slytherins found themselves unsure and outnumbered. Retreat was therefore the best option, and Anthony J. Crowley survived to see another day without the need for a trip to the infirmary. 

Of course when Aziraphale found out about it all, he was furious.

*

They both knew, though, that it was only a matter of time before the Slytherins gave it another go.

Unfortunately, the next time there were even more of them, and they’d made sure there was nowhere to run to.

However, in their eagerness to teach the little traitor a lesson and make sure he couldn’t escape, they hadn’t waited for a time when he was on his own. So Aziraphale was with him.

This was their first mistake.

The Slytherins weren’t bothered by the extra addition, after all he was just a failed Gryffindor, what could he do? 

This was their second mistake. 

Their third mistake was in sending Aziraphale’s books flying into the mud. Because now this meant war. 

Herbology and Astronomy may have been Crowley’s best subjects, but he had grown up in the nest of the snake, and he was still alive. He knew how to throw and dodge a jinx like the best of them and this time he had nothing to lose. 

He caught two Slytherins in a full body bind, before crashing to the ground from a Jelly-Legs Curse. 

What that did was give him the opportunity to see Aziraphale - his best friend and the gentlest, kindest, sweetest person he had ever known - rip through the rest of the Slytherins like they were concussed muggles. 

It was a-maz-ing. 

Because while Aziraphale might have been a _failed_ Gryffindor, in another lifetime he would have been sorted into Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw meant books, books meant reading, reading meant knowledge, and while a lot of that knowledge had started as theoretical, there was still a Gryffindor side of him and it hadn’t allowed that knowledge to remain so. Not when it combined with the Hufflepuff part of him, which screamed incredibly loudly that he needed to be able to protect his best friend at all costs. 

So Aziraphale had done what he was best at; worked hard, mainly in secret, and reached out to others to help him turn the theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge. In this case, he had turned to an older Hufflepuff friend and her Gryffindor want-to-be boyfriend. 

Tracy had been only too happy to help Aziraphale protect Crowley, of whom she was very fond, and Shadwell had only been too happy to do something that would both impress Tracy and probably show up some Slytherins. 

So they played to their strengths, and if there was one factor that everyone tended to overlooked about Aziraphale, it was his talent with charms. People always thought charms were harmless, innocent, soft. They dismissed them as ‘just charms’. 

But jinxes, hexes and curses? They were ‘just charms’ too, when you got right down to it. 

And those who were good at charms often made the best duellers. 

The Slytherins didn’t stand a chance. 

Crowley stared wide eyed behind his sunglasses as Aziraphale rapid-fired one curse after another, expertly dodging or blocking the few actually sent his way, until finally all the Slytherins were incapacity in one way or another and Aziraphale was left standing over them like the best kind of vengeful angel. 

Then the vengeful angel was gone and Crowley’s friend was back, fussing over him as he broke the Jelly-legs charm and trying to check that he was alright. 

For once, Crowley was perfectly fine, and fortunately so were the books, Crowley able to show off an excellent cleaning charm he had recently discovered.

They decided to leave the Slytherins where they lay, but not before Aziraphale waved his wand threateningly at them once more and told them that if they ever tried anything like that again he wouldn’t go so easy on them.

Of course, this being Hogwarts, there was always someone around to see these sort of things happen (thanks Peeves) and a group of battered Slytherins was certainly a thing some people wanted to see. Word of what happened spread quickly, especially as two of the Slytherins needed to go to the Hospital Wing, and it didn’t take long for Crowley and Aziraphale’s names to be linked to the incident.

“I’m telling you,” a Ravenclaw who had just so happened to have seen the end of it said, “it was the blond one, he took them down, all of them, five at least.”

Not everyone believed the rumours, however. After all, small, chubby, bubbly, Hufflepuff Aziraphale Fell didn’t fit any one’s idea of master dueller. And this led to a certain number of taunts and jeers being flung at the two of them, until Professor McGonagall stepped in. 

“Mr. Fell.”

Her voice cut a swath through the corridor, students quickly stepping back and away from him until only Crowley remained at his side. 

“Duelling, Mr. Fell, may _only_ be performed on the duelling stage and under the direct supervision of a faculty member or Prefect.”

Swallowing, Aziraphale nodded and looked down at his shoes. “Yes, Headmistress,” he said meekly.

“Fighting, with or without magic, is equally banned at this school,” Professor McGonagall continued. 

“Yes, Headmistress.”

“So that will be ten points from Hufflepuff-”

There was a small gasp from all of those around. It was, after all, rare for a Hufflepuff to lose points. 

“Five for the duelling and five for the fight.”

Aziraphale swallowed again, blinking back the tears. He had never lost the house points before, and it hurt. No matter that he had acted for all the right reasons, and would do it again if he had to. “Yes, Headmistress.”

“And fifty points _to_ Hufflepuff-”

There was a bigger gasp this time as Aziraphale’s head shot up, his eyes wide. 

“Ten points for defending a fellow student at a time of need, twenty for demonstrating excellent duelling technique and another twenty for doing so against a group of students both older and more experienced than yourself.” 

Aziraphale stared, but somehow managed to stutter, “Thank you, Headmistress.”

“And Mr. Fell.”

“Yes, Headmistress?”

“Next time, confine your demonstrations to the duelling stage.”

“Yes, Headmistress.” He didn’t hide his smile.

“And Mr. Crowley.”

Crowley started from where he stood next to his friend. “Yes, Headmistress?”

“Ten points to Hufflepuff for the excellent use of the full body bind.”

“Thank you, Headmistress.” His mouth also curved into a grin.

Then Professor McGonnell was gone and the whispers broke out in a wave. In one short exchange the Headmistress had confirmed every credible rumour about what had happened; that there had been a fight, that they had been outnumbered, and that Aziraphale, the overly cheerful Hufflepuff Gryffindor-reject, had almost singlehandedly taken them on and beaten them. 

He had fought like a lion, someone said, wild and fearless. 

No, he had fought like a bear, strong and powerful.

“Don’t be silly,” Aziraphale said that dinner time as he reached for the roast potatoes, “I’m not like a lion or a bear. I fought to protect and to make sure they think twice before trying something like that again.”

The other kids stared at him.

“So it’s simple really,” he continued with a smile, wiggling slightly in his seat. “I fought like a badger.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy PRIDE month and love and support to our Trans family!


End file.
